Who Took Johnny - Documentary

WHO TOOK JOHNNY is an examination into the infamous thirty-year-old cold case behind the disappearance of Iowa paperboy Johnny Gosch, the first missing child to appear on a milk carton. The film focuses on the heartbreaking story of Johnny's mother, Noreen Gosch, and her relentless quest to find the truth about what happened that tragic September morning in Des Moines when Johnny never returned from his paper route. Along the way there have been mysterious sightings, strange clues, bizarre revelations, and a confrontation with a person who claims to have helped abduct Johnny. WHO TOOK JOHNNY captures the endless intrigue and conspiracy theories surrounding the eye-witness accounts, compelling evidence and emotional discoveries which span three decades of the most spellbinding missing person's case in U.S. history.

We all know about the 'Faces on the milk carton' even though most of us never grew up with it. It seems to harken back to more innocent times, before we were inundated with 24/7 cable news coverage plastering Missing Persons faces everywhere until we grow sick of them. You couldn't keep track of all the current missing people stories in a hundred years. So, I'm interested to see how this case treated the matter in a time when parents and law enforcement just weren't prepared for an event like this to happen as opposed to now. The fact that he's never been found and his mom is still looking after 30 years is another aspect that compels me. When the subject remains a mystery for so long you kind of feel obliged to investigate it for yourself, "Let me take a crack at this with fresh eyes." The most powerful documentaries are always the ones that provide a lot of facts, but no clear answers. They put you in the position to not just be satisfied that justice was served, but actually grieve the victims yourself and contemplate how such awful things keep happening in the world.

This thing is a serious rabbit hole after finishing it, I've dove head down into it and am just baffled. There's an interview with the mom on youtube that had some details in it that really shocked me. i don't know, worth a watch for sure. Here's the interview I listened to.